The Stranglers
From The Art and Popular Culture Encyclopedia
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The Stranglers are an English rock band who emerged via the punk rock scene. Best known for Golden Brown" (1981), the Stranglers are one of the longest-surviving and most "continuously successful" bands to have originated in the UK punk scene.
Next to their hits (see below), singles of note include "Nice 'n' Sleazy" (1978) and "Midsummer Night Dream" (1983).
Overview
Formed as the Guildford Stranglers on 11 September 1974 in Guildford, Surrey, they originally built a following within the mid-1970s pub rock scene. While their aggressive, no-compromise attitude had them identified by the media with the emerging UK punk rock scene that followed, their idiosyncratic approach rarely followed any single musical genre, and the group went on to explore a variety of musical styles, from new wave, art rock and gothic rock through the sophisti-pop of some of their 1980s output.
They had major mainstream success with their 1981 single "Golden Brown". Their other hits include "No More Heroes" (1977), "Peaches" (1977), "Always the Sun" (1986) and "Skin Deep" (1984) and the 2003 Top 40 hit "Big Thing Coming", which was seen as a return to form.
The Stranglers' early sound was driven by Jean-Jacques Burnel's melodic bass, but also gave prominence to Dave Greenfield's keyboards. Their early music was also characterised by the growling vocals and sometimes misanthropic lyrics of both Burnel and Hugh Cornwell.
Discography
- Rattus Norvegicus (1977)
- No More Heroes (1977)
- Black and White (1978)
- The Raven (1979)
- The Gospel According to The Meninblack (1981)
- La Folie (1981)
- Feline (1983)
- Aural Sculpture (1984)
- Dreamtime (1986)
- 10 (1990)
- Stranglers In the Night (1992)
- About Time (1995)
- Written in Red (1997)
- Coup de Grace (1998)
- Norfolk Coast (2004)
- Suite XVI (2006)
